Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is a non-invasive method of analgesia (pain relief). Electrodes are placed over the skin of a painful body part and low voltage electrical impulses are emitted to provide pain relief, flooding the brain with pain free stimulus to reduce its processing of current pain, eg labour pain. It's a bit like hitting your thumb with a hammer: you shake your hand, rub your thumb, hold pressure on it, all to distract the brain from the real pain that’s occurred.
TENS has been used as a method of labour analgesia for over 30 years, it is super easy to use and multiple studies have shown there to be no harmful effects to the mother or neonate (1-3).
A study by Santana et al (2016) published in the Journal of Physiotherapy found that use of TENS at the beginning of the active phase of labour significantly reduced pain and delayed the need for pharmacological pain relief interventions. Prior to TENS use 70% of the group classified pain as greater than 7/10, and after 30 minutes of intervention only 34% of the same group classified pain as greater than 7/10. Even better, those who used TENS in early active labour delayed pharmacological interventions by a mean time of 5 hours compared to those who didn’t. Interventions did not significantly impact other maternal or neonatal outcomes, and anyone one who has a pacemaker, or cardiac condition is NOT advised to use a TENS machine.
For further antenatal information, including the use of TENS during labour contact the clinic to discuss with our Physio and Exercise Physiologist Nicole Cullen.
**Don’t forget our Healthy Pregnancy Antenatal Classes are run every Wednesday 5:30-6:30pm at the clinic, call to make a booking.
In the second of our Injuries Unpacked series, we're taking a look at an issue most of us will have experienced in our lives: the humble headache.
There are many different types of headaches that an individual can experience. Two types of recurring headaches that are common are neck related headaches and migraines. Many people don’t know that their neck pain can be related to (and causing) their headaches. How this occurs is pain receptors from the neck meet in the same area in the brain as pain receptors from the head region. When we feel pain in our necks, sometimes this pain is misinterpreted as coming from the head and our brain tells us we have a headache as well. The causes of migraines on the other hand are not very well known and can vary widely from person to person, taking in to account environmental and genetic factors.
If you are unsure what type of headache you may be experiencing, the symptoms are quite different between neck related headaches and migraines.
If you are unsure of what type of headache you are experiencing or not sure who to get help from, a physiotherapist is a good place to start. A physiotherapist can help diagnose what type of headache you have through questions about the history of your headache combined with a thorough physical examination.
Once diagnosis of the type of headache has been made, the physiotherapist will know what is causing your headaches and tailor your treatments accordingly. If they feel that you may have a migraine type headache the physiotherapist may refer you to a doctor for further help.
Experiencing headaches? Get in touch with the clinic today, to book in with one of our experienced physiotherapists.
In the first of our Injuries Unpacked series, we are taking a look at one of the injuries we see a lot of in the clinic: shoulder impingement syndrome.
Shoulder impingement is when the space where the rotator cuff tendons in your shoulder decreases which causes structures in your shoulder to rub against each other. If this rubbing occurs over a period of time, pain will start to be felt. Impingement can occur in different parts of the shoulder and cause different symptoms to be experienced.
Causes of shoulder impingement can be varied and can occur for several reasons usually related to the muscles used and position around the shoulder. These can include rotator cuff muscle overuse, poor muscle control, poor posture during certain activities or a tight shoulder capsule.
A physio will assess how your shoulder and arm is moving as well as look at how strong the muscles around your shoulder are. There are several special tests a physio can also perform which will help diagnose your injury.
Treatment will involve looking at the biomechanics of your shoulder to find out why the impingement is occurring.
Experiencing the symptoms of shoulder impingement? Get in touch with the clinic today, to book in with one of our experienced physiotherapists.
Many of our clients are unsure whether they are looking for a physiotherapist or a sports physiotherapist.
All Physiotherapists here at SportsTec are equipped in dealing with the general population and are also qualified and capable in treating more specific sports injuries. Consultations are thorough but take into account the lifestyle of the client to tailor individual treatment plans. Lucky enough for us all our physiotherapists have experience competing and working in various sporting fields. This has given them the knowledge and skills to effectively treat the sporting population. The main difference between our physiotherapists is that our sports physiotherapists have done additional qualifications in their field.
Sports physiotherapy assessments and treatments aid the athlete to return back to sport as quickly but as safely as possible. They have an understanding of the demands on the body during particular sports and thus can facilitate an optimal return to sport. Sports physiotherapists can also aid in the prevention of injuries and reduce the chance of re-injury on return to sport through biomechanical analysis. You do not need to be an elite athlete to come and see a sports physiotherapist. Many of our clients are recreational athletes that are wanting to get back to regular weekend sports!
If you are interested in seeing one of our physiotherapists click here.
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ABOUT THE CLASSES:
Dancer strength and conditioning will be broken into three parts- interval training, strength and limbering/balance.
The interval training will focus on the fitness required of a dance, specifically dancers do short bursts of movement followed by rest, making it ideal for them to train for Vo2 max (lactate training). This will be done in both ballet and normal movements for cross training benefits and avoid overuse.
Strength will be broken down to core and then in priority of muscles that require more conditioning than others specific to dance. That is- calf, quad, glutes and hamstrings, these muscles by end of term end up being quite strong so need to be reconditioned prior to dance.
Limbering and balance. Stretching of all muscle groups to regain some lost range, balance work for the same reason.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Researchers from the Australia Institute of Sport (AIS) have found that a break from sport can result in decreased fitness/strength and consequently, an increased risk of injury upon return. The AIS found mismanagement of load upon return to sport resulted in an increased injury rate of up to 37%. Similar research on dancers found a 31% increase in injury rates after a three week break.
Based on this current research, if a dancer did nothing over the upcoming school holidays, they would need a graded and reduced load while returning to a full time dance for a period of 4.6 weeks in order to prevent this increased chance of injury. To eliminate that delay we are offering these strength and conditioning classes.
Please call us at 02 61561308 or email admin@sportstecclinic.com.au for expressions of interest and we will then let you know what classes are available.
